“Nothing happened,” Faith echoed in a mocking, robotic tone. “Then why do you look like a giddy schoolgirl? Which is saying something, especially when it comes to you.”
“I do not look like a giddy schoolgirl!” I gave her a playful shove. “She’s just helping me learn how to control my magic. I’m so behind and she offered to help me catch up.”
“I’ll bet she did.”
“Stop making everything sound like innuendo!”
“Are you going to tell me what happened to make you all blushy or not?”
“Yes, I’ll tell you. I just . . .” My excuses faded when I saw Sabine approach her cabin.
Waiting for her with her arms crossed and boobs pushed up to her chin was Astrid Cunningham. The arrogant witch’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Sabine and then all the way across the kickball field to where Faith and I stood.
My stomach plummeted.
“Uh-oh, Astrid is on to you,” Faith whispered. “That isnotgood.”
“There’s nothing to be on to me about. Nothing happened,” I hissed. “Sabine is just helping me with my magic.”
“Maybe you should find someone else to help you, Gwenny,” Faith said. “You’re already at the top of Astrid’s hit list, and getting any attention, even platonic, from Sabine is guaranteed to make her go nuclear.”
I watched Astrid flounce into the cabin after Sabine, chattering at her like an annoying gnat. I was pleased to see Sabine’s shoulders lift to her ears as she disappeared into the Harvest Moon cabin, clearly annoyed.
“Wait, why is Astrid in a first-year cabin?” I asked.
“From what I’ve heard, her family pulled some strings so she could be with her crush,” Faith said. “The Stonewoods and Cunninghams are powerful families. I’m sure they want her to explore that match.”
“What?” I gaped at the swinging door as it shut. My hands balled into fists at my sides. I couldn’t explain why it made my blood boil. The thought of the two of them sharing acabin—even with eight other people in there—made me want to claw Astrid’s eyes out.
“Jealous?” Faith taunted, dancing around me.
“No,” I snapped, making my way toward our cabin.
“Bestie, you’re greener than that frog,” Faith said, and I followed her line of sight to a lone frog sitting beside us where Faith’s water bottle used to be.
“Dammit!”
13
Sabine
“Rainy days are fun, team!” Iris cheered, attempting to pep up the depressed campers to no avail. Two weeks had passed, and still the skies hadn’t cleared. It was the wettest summer on record for Lake Nevermore.
Iris and I were assigned to the art hut for the next hour, and my older sister was determined to make the most of it. “We’ve got multiple craft options set up, and the woodworking tools are available, but you’ll need to take turns. I’m working on this découpage cat for the apothecary. Who wants to découpage with me?”
No one responded, the silence accentuated by the sound of pouring rain on waterlogged grass.
“Just let them sulk, Iris. It’s fine,” I muttered, reclining my chair until I was practically prone. “Witches love sulking. It’s good for our complexions.”
“Fine,” she said, grabbing another colorful piece of tissue paper.
At least Astrid had joined the wildflower-pressing group, so I wouldn’t be forced to slowly edge my seat away from her for the next hour.
“We want to swim,” one camper lamented.
“Not until the storm passes,” I repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. I darted a look at the gray skies and the streaks of lightning bursting through the midday gloom. “The last thing we need is for someone to get electrocuted.”
“Can’t we just do a warding spell on the lake?” another asked.
